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An Important Message from President Ken Howard

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An Important Message from President Ken Howard

Dear Member,

A very important announcement will happen shortly at the White House Student Film Festival. President Barack Obama will announce that SAG-AFTRA and the American Film Institute have answered his call to service to mentor aspiring storytellers pursuing careers in the cinematic arts.

As part of “A Call to Arts,” the SAG-AFTRA President’s Task Force on Education, Outreach and Engagement, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and AFI plan to dedicate existing educational seminars, outreach efforts, conservatory programs, classes and other programs to the effort. Along with your volunteer assistance, we will work to achieve one million mentor hours over the next three years.

President Obama, with special guest Hilary Swank and I, along with a number of other SAG-AFTRA members, will announce the initiative from the White House. Join us via the live stream (wh.gov/filmfest) at 1 p.m. ET for the festival pre-show red carpet and at 2 p.m. ET for the program and announcement. Get involved in the conversation on social media using the hashtags #CallToArts and #sagaftramember. Tweet why you think arts and mentoring matter, share the information about serve.gov/calltoarts, or post a picture of yourself as a sign you care about this important initiative.

I am thrilled to be part of this effort, and I hope you will join me. The success of this endeavor depends on you. Our membership includes the most knowledgeable pros in the business, and this is an opportunity to share your experience and help the next generation of actors, broadcasters and recording artists get started on the right foot by taking the “A Call to Arts” pledge at serve.gov/calltoarts, the online home of the President’s Call to Service, United We Serve. The website also connects individuals, schools and community organizations interested in creative arts mentoring as a pathway to opportunity, particularly for underserved youth.